Confidence in the school
WRR report no. 83, ‘Confidence in the school. Drop-out by ‘overburned’ young people’ (Vertrouwen in de school. Over de uitval van 'overbelaste' jongeren) was published on 26 January 2009. The report was presented to Ms. J.M. van Bijsterveldt, State Secretary for Education, Culture and Science.
School drop-out
School drop-out not only affects those directly involved, but also leads to considerable social problems. The WRR accordingly began this research project in 2007, headed by Professor Pieter Winsemius. International studies suggest that several comparable countries have lower drop-out rates than the Netherlands, raising the question of whether the Dutch approach to this problem is the correct one.
Confidence
In Confidence in the school the WRR argues for measures to reduce the number of premature school-leavers. The main focus is on students whose drop-out is the most difficult to prevent: the so-called ‘overburned’ students - vulnerable young people dealing with a culmination of different problems. The report is based on a large number of interviews with directly involved professionals and others who deal with this issues on a daily basis and operate close to the ‘front line’, as well as a wide-ranging literature review.
Vertrouwen in de school. Over de uitval van 'overbelaste' jongeren, WRR report no. 83 (ISBN 978 90 8964 105 2), is available from 26 January 2009 via booksellers or from Amsterdam University Press, Herengracht 211, Amsterdam.